Earlier this month I brougt these mini cupcakes for my sister's birthday party, they have a "Christmassy", yet fresh taste from the clementines. You don't have to decorate them like I did here, of course, you could just use some festive sprinkles and serve at your New Year's party :)

Here's the recipe for a lovely and very versatile potato gratin. We had this with our Christmas ham on Dec 24th :-) It can be made in advance which is quite nice; it gives you more time with your guests and more time for you to prepare the rest of the meal.

Christmas is here! There's no turning back! The boys are almost "electric" today, and Santa has already been here with some presents ;) (Scandinavians celebrate Christmas today and not on Christmas Day.)

I hope you all have everything under control, and that you can enjoy the holidays with your friends and family :)

You don't have to use your oven to make today's sweet treat, and it's quickly put together should you run out of sweets over the next few days ;-) I first saw the recipe in Nigella Christmas, but I have altered it quit a bit since my first go.

Another of my childhood Christmas cookies, for me there won't be Christmas without these! I also think that they make a nice dessert if you're too full after dinner.. if you know what I mean..;) The batter may remind you of brownies, and they are indeed quite gooey after baking, but later these "dry out" in a low oven until nice and crunchy.

Do you still have some Christmas gift shopping left? Here's my suggestion; make a kit for the recipient and (s)he will be minutes away from delicious, freshly made cookies! Include a good looking mixing bowl as well to make the gift complete :)

Layer up the dry ingredients (from for instance this recipe) into a jar, put the lid on and include a note where you write something like this: "Put 100 grams butter into a bowl, beat until creamy, then add the egg and beat again. Tip in the ingredients from the jar, stir until combined, then make about 16 mounds and place on a lined baking tray. Bake in a 180 C oven for about 18-20 minutes."

The mince pie is an English Christmas classic and I have aquired a newfound love for these sweet pastries. I usually make them smaller than the original size, I use a mini muffin tin which make amuse bouche sized mince pies.

When Rachel Allen's series "Bake" was on Norwegian television the translator writing the subtitles translated "mincemeat" with the Norwegian word for "minced meat"! You would think that he or she realised something was wrong when Rachel dusted the pastries with icing sugar, no wonder Norwegians are confused when it comes to these Christmas treats.

Put the flour and the icing sugar into the bowl of a food processor, whizz for a few seconds to mix, then add the butter and whizz until the mixture resembles bread crumbs.

Pour in the clementine juice little by little with the motor running, you may not need it all, or you may need some more. (Depending on the juiciness of your clementines.) Add just enough juice to make the pastry come together. (If you don't have a food processor, rub the butter into the flour and icing sugar mixture until it resembles breadcrumbs, then stir while you add just enough juice to make the pastry come together.)

Wrap the pastry in cling film and place in the fridge for about 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 200 C.

Unwrap the pastry and place it onto a lightly floured surface. Roll it out quite thinly, about 3 mm (1/8in) or thereabouts. Using the round cutter, cut out circles and place them snugly into the bases of your tin:

I remember when I was a little girl and I was allowed to help my mum making caramel and toffee for Christmas. But I also remember that it was hard to get perfect results; either they came out too soft and runny, or they came out too hard. I feel quite confident that a sugar thermometer would have been a tremendous help, hence I regard mine as one of my most successful investments in the kitchen. But, if you have some confidence and some patience, you should be perfectly able to make these toffees without one :)

Put the cream, sugar, syrup and cocoa powder into a pan.Bring to the boil and keep boiling until the sugar thermometer reaches 122 C, this will take about 20-30 minutes. (If you don't have a sugar thermometer, check the temperature by dripping a little of the toffee into a glass of cold water. If it's possible to shape the toffee into a small ball between your fingers, it's done. If it just "melts" again when removed from the water, boil for another 2-3 minutes and check again.)Add the butter and stir until melted into the mixture.Pour the toffee into a jug or so to make it easier to fill the cases, then divide the runny toffee between them. You have to work fast here as the toffee hardens quite quickly, making it hard to pour (I speak from experience ;).Leave to cool completely, store in an airtight tin or so in a cool place.

Tip for stressed-out Christmas gift shoppers: buy a decent amount of good quality sea salt, mix in some dried thyme, dried rosemary, a little garlic powder, and maybe some crushed pink peppercorns to add some colour. Fill into nice, clean jars, tie on a ribbon and a label and then...Ta-daah!

The birds need feeding too! If this Christmas and winter will be as cold as last year's, well then they'll really need some extra fat to keep warm. I think these make nice gifts, too, especially for those who see little birds outside their kitchen windows!

This fabulous Italian dessert is perfect for Christmas; it can be made in advance, it keeps for days and days and it feeds a crowd after dinner. You can replace the nuts and fruit to suit your taste - the number of recipes for panforte is vast - but these are the ingredients that suit me. (Though I think I'll include some pieces of dried figs next time.)Panforte is like a cross between confectionery and a cake; cut into slices like a cake, but best enjoyed in small amounts as it is quite rich. A cup of espresso or other strong coffee is an obvious accomaniment!

Pour in the sugar/honey/butter mixture and stir until all nuts and fruit are covered, then tip it all into the lined tin. Press down to get a smooth surface (wet your hands to avoid it from sticking), you want it to be very compact.

Bake in the oven for 40 minutes until the top is bubbling all over.

Leave to cool completely in its tin before removing the baking paper from the bottom and sides.

Dust with some icing sugar and cut into thin slices.

Serve with a decent cup of espresso.

(Panforte keeps for at least 3 weeks if you store it in an airtight tin/box (or plastic bag) in a cool place.)

St Lucia Day is just around the corner (Dec 13.) and as usual I make Lussekatter (sweet yeast dough bun flavoured with saffron) for this day. My school boy is participating the St Lucia procession at school, early in the morning, and my boy in nursery school is entertaining the parents in the afternoon. (If you'd like to know more about this (mainly) Scandinavian feast day and it's Lussekatter, look here and here.) I love sweet buns and I love saffron, so if I can combine the two I'm in heaven!

Pour the milk into a large(ish) bowl and stir in the yeast. Add the melted butter, sugar and saffron and mix until combined. Now add most of the flour, you may not need everything.

When the dough is firm enough to knead, turn out onto a floured surface and knead for about 5 minutes. (If you have a freestanding kitchen mixer with a dough hook I would leave the kneading to the machine...)

Put the dough into the bowl again, cover with a kitchen towel and leave to prove until doubled in size, about 45 minutes to an hour.

Most people make their traditional cakes and cookies for Christmas, I make my childhood treats but I also always try some new recipes. I adore fudge, hence I wanted to make a cookie including fudge and some Christmassy spices. The result was quite nice, if I may say so myself. I used the heavenly Irish fudge from Butler's, the toffee from the same producer vanished so quickly it didn't even make it to the kitchen..

Preheat oven to 175 C, and line two baking trays with baking paper.Beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, then add the cocoa powder, flour, cinnamon, ginger and cloves. Stir until incorporated.Using two tablespoons, make little mounds and place onto the trays, remember to leave some space inbetween each.Place a few pieces of fudge in the middle of each cookie and press down gently with your finger.Bake in the preheated oven for about 7-8 minutes.If the fudge has melted and "escaped" from some of the cookies, use a knife or so to push the escaped fudge to the edge. (Do this before it cools and sets again.)Leave to cool on the tray for a little while before transferring to a wire rack. These cookies are quite fragile so be gentle.

Put the melted white chocolate into a piping bag made from a piece of baking paper, snip off the tip to make a tiny nozzle, and squeeze it over the cooled cookies with a zig-zag motion.Sprinkle over some christmassy sprinkles, if you like.